Automatic safety-gate



F. D. PROCTOR AND A. LOSS'ON.

AUTOMATIC SAFETY GATE.

APPLICATION HLED AU G.27| I919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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/ m I r I F. D. PROCTOR AND A.,| .0SSON.

AUTOMATIC SAFETY GATE.

APPLICATION'FILED AUG.2I. 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- 1,331 ,673. Patented Feb. 24,1920.

avumntoz EDR'Oci or. Q/vi/tvwoo flLOSS on UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' Framers n. rnoe'roemvn ALDO- LOSSON, or MONROE CImY-, MISSOUBI.,

AUTOMATIC SAFETY-GATE.

, county of Monroe, State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Automatic Safety-Gate, of which the following-isa specification. V This invention relates to improvements in automatic gates, and more particularly to railway gates employed for guarding railway crossings against personscrossing the same, when a tram is approaching the highway. v V

The primary object of the invention is to provide a gate of this character which will be operated by a train passing over the track, the train engaging suitable operating levers located within the path of travel of the train.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for opening the gate,

the railway tracks, thereby necessity of employing an 'ttendant at the the gate. i

A still further object of the invention isto provide means having connection with the operating levers, for'causinga gradual raising and lowering of the gate proper. With the foregoing and other objects in view whiehwillappear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the comibiparts and In the nation and arrangement of details of construction hereinafter described it being understood that r and claimed, changes inthe precise embodiment of their. vention herein'disclosed, may be'made with; in the scopeof what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention. Referring to the drawing Figure 1 illustrates a sideelevatio'nal view of a gate, showingthe support or housing the gate being shown in thereof, in section, its raised position by dot and" dash line.

Fig. 2 is'a fragmental' top plan view of the'same, and

Fig. 3' illustrates a side elevational view showing a fragment of a railway track, with our invention applied thereto.

Having reference to the drawing in detail, the reference character 5 designatesthe base of the housing or support, which" includes the side elements (land 7 and end members 8 and 9, the side members 6 being provided Specification of Letters Batent;

after the. train has passed the high-way intersecting, obviating the with theweight 20, adjustably' securedto the r with relation to the section 25 Patented neb.24,.192o.,

Application filed August 27, 1.919." Serial'No. 320,239:

with a cut-out portion 10' extending from the upper'ed'ge thereof, and terminating at a point intermediate its length, said cut-out portion being for the "purpose ofproviding a guide for-one end of'the gate 11.

The side element 7 provides a support for the bracket 12, which has one of its armssecured to the inner wall thereof, as at 13, the outer arm of said bracket 12, providing a pivot for-the dog 14. which has-its lowerend connected to the coiled spring 15, said coiled spring 15, having connection with the side element 7 thereby forcing the outer end of said dog 14L normally into engagement with the sprocket wheel 16 which is rotatably'supported within the housing, on the shaft 17; This sprocket 16, is provided with a cutout portion 18, in the periphery thereof, whic-l'r cut-out portion forms an abutment for. the dog 14, when the sprocket wh'eel 16 [has been-moved to a predetermined position and it will" be seen that due to the'engagemen't. between the dog 14 and notched portion 18, the sprocket wheel 16 is prevented from reverse movement, under normal conditions. Y

The gate proper 11, is pivotally connected as at 19, to the up-' per'portion ofthe housing, and is provided extreme inner end of'thegate, as by means which includes the" arm of the screw shank 21, operating ina' suit-- able threaded opening 22 formed" in the-'inner. end of the-arm 1'1.-

Keyed or otherwise seeured' 'to the shaft 19,,- isthe arm 23, which includes the sections 24 and' 25, said seetions24: and 25 beingunder are tension of'the; coiled spring 2 6 which has its respective ends connected; to the respe tive sections 24: and 25 by means of the bracket members 27 and 28.

Onone endofthe'section 25, is adjustably secured a weight 29, which weight is also provided with a threadedsup-porting shank operating in an opening" 31, formed in the section 25',to permit the weightto be moved to a position to overhalance the weight 20 on the inner end of the arm 11, in order thatthe gate will operate-toclose, when the means for supporting the gate in its open'position'has been released. p

The section 25, of the arm 23, normally rests on the bracket 32, which extendslatorally from the arm 11, in such relation with the section 25, an the section 25, will engage said arm 32 and be supported thereby.

The operating mechanism includes the yoke 33 h'avingan extensionv 34, and the forked portion 35, one of the said forked portions being pivotally connected to one of" the arms of the bell crank lever 36,'the

opposite end of said arm having connection with the flexible member 37, which passes overthe pulley 38 supported on the bracket 39, which is suitably secured to va railway tie, in close proximity with the rail, supported thereby, so that the operating lever 40, which is pivotally connected to the bracket, 38, will lie in the path of travel of an arm, not shown, carried by the train passing over the track.

As shown, the flexible member 37 passes which passes through an opening 47, formed in the side element 7 of the housing. 7 7

While we have only shown and described the connection-between, the yoke 33-and the operating lever 40, on one side of the gate,

it is ofcou-rse understood that the same is duplicated on the other side of the gate,

therefore it is not believed to be necessary to dwell in detail on this construction.

Assuming that the: gate is in its opened positionf From the foregoing, it will be seen that if a train were passingover the rails in the direction of the arrow A, as indicated by F ig.3of the drawings, the lever 40 would be tripped, with the result that the bell crank lever 36 would be rocked to pull the flexible connection 46, with the result that the dog 14 would be released from the cutout portion 18 ofthe sprocket wheel 16, the weight 29, being slightly heavier than the weight 20, the gate 11 would descend, or move to its closed position. I g

It follows that as the train proceeds, the

operating lever, on the other side of the gate, and corresponding to the operatinglever 40, is moved in a direction corresponding with the movement "of the operating lever 40, with the result that the flexible connecting member 37, is pulled, with the result that the sprocket chain 44 is moved V downwardly over the teeth of the sprocket wheel 16, until the dog 14 reaches the cut- 'wheel 16, and consequently gate 11 in its open position.

, within the housing,

' to move the first out portion 18, whereupon the tension of the coiled spring 15, causes the dog 14 to seat in the cut-out portion '18, thereby preventing reverse .rotary movement of the ,jsprocket supporting the What is claimed is: y 1. In an automatic railway gate, a pivoted arm, a housing for supporting the arm, a

sectlonal arm connected to the pivoted arm,

spring means forconnecting the sections of the sectional arm, a weight carried by one a we ght carried by one end of the sections, of the'pivoted arm, the weight on the sec tional arm being heavier than the .weight on the pivoted arm, and means for overcoming' the weight of the sectional arm. f 2. In an automatic railway gate, aipiwoted arm, a housing, a sectional. arm sup ported by the pivotedarm, said sectional arm having a weight, anda weight on one end of the pivoted arm, a sprocket wheel an operating lever, a

flexible member connecting the sectionalarm and the operating lever, said flexible member operating over the sprocket wheel, tor moving the ,plvoted arm and sectional arm in one direction, and means for securing the sprocket wheel against movement in one direction, at'predeterinined positions.

3. In an automatic railway gate,a housing, an arm pivotally connected to the h using, an auxiliary arm operating with the first mentioned arm,

fi a weight carried by the rst mentioned arm, and a weight on the auxiliary arm, the weight on the auxiliary arm adapted to overlbalance the weight on the first mentioned arm, and means for overcoming the weight of the auxiliary arm,

position;

4. In an automatic railway gate,

oted arm, a housing for supporting the arm, a SOtlOIl2tl iL lIIL supported adjacent the pivoted arm, a bracket supported by the pivoted arm, and adapted to receive one of the sections of the sectional arm, a weight carried by the Sectional arm and a weight carried by the pivoted arm, .the

weight of the pivoted arm, means femur-,0 matically removing the weightof the sectional arm from the pivoted arm, and means for returning the sectional :arm to its position on the bracket; V

g In testimony that we claim the foregoing sv our own, we have hereto aflixed oursignatures in the presence of two witnesses;

"FRANCIS D. PRocTon.

ALDO LOSSON.

Witnesses: V

ROY B. hlERiwETHER, V R0131. MERIWETHER.

mentioned arm to its open weight of the sectional arun adapted to overbalance the, 115 

